Slur cock bar for straight bar knitting machines



March 4, 1941. I WICKARDT 2,233,801

SLUR COCK BAR FOR STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed March 16, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5, an M 4 7 ATTORNEY March 4, 1941. WICKARDT 2,233,801

SLUR COCK BAR FOR STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES 7 Filed March 16, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 KUKT W/c/mwpr continuously in motion.

Patented Mar. 4,1941

UNITED STATES sum coon BAR FOR s'mncn'r BAR.

KNITTING MACHINES Kurt Wickardt, Oberlungwitz, Germany, as slznor to Kalio, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 16, 1939, Serial No. 262,253

In Germany March 16,-1938 9 Claims.

The invention relates to straight bar knitting machines and is particularly concerned with the drive of the slur cock bar through the medium of mechanism hereinafter referred to as the coulier motion mechanism which mechanism embodies a cam which is driven by the cam shaft of the machine through intermeshing gear wheels, and the driver for the slur cock bar, which driver is usually driven by the said cam through rollers, connecting bars and levers. As is well known, in straight bar knitting machines, loop transfer operations as, for example, picot, fabric narrowings and the like, take place F at frequent intervals during the knitting and, since no thread laying and loop sinking should take place in the transferring operation, slur cocks and thread guides must be stopped whenever such loop transfers occur. In the construction of straight bar knitting machines hitherto usual, this is effected by releasing from the cam shaft, a small bevel wheel which is mounted thereon and which, during the loop-sinking or couliering operation, is clutched to the cam shaft and drives the coulier motion mechanism, the release of the said bevel resulting in the drive of the coulier motion mechanism being stopped while transfer is taking place. After the completion of the transferring operation, the small bevel wheel is again clutched to the cam shaft and the coulier motion mechanism is again set into operation.

However, the known construction of the drive of the slur cock bar has the disadvantage that, P in stopping the coulier motion mechanism, large masses are brought to a standstill in a very short period of time and, on restarting, the same masses have to be set into motion again and accelerated. Owins'to the great forcewhich has to be exerted, a considerable shock is given to the machine which has an unfavourable efiect on its working. Moreover, notwithstan the provision oi powerful brakes for stopping the coulier motion mechanism, it is impossible to stop the loop-sinkm a h .llcf'i with the necessary accuracy.

By the present invention the aforesaid disadvantages are ,ifiLI'Il ated or in of and accord ing to the invention, the slur took her is arranged to be intettentlv onerable, while the coulier motion mechanism is adapted to be maintained Once the large mes of the coulier motion mechanism are in motion, they remain continually coupled with the cam shaft of the knitting machine, and the invention includes the provision or a clutch between the I driving device of the ooulier motion mechanism.

and the driving means for the slur cock bar, which clutch may be thrown in and out by hand or automatically.

The arrangement of a clutch between the driving device of the coulier motion mechanism and the slur cock bar, in which the driving device is compelled to take part in the movement of the couiier motion mecha =1. while the slur cock bar is stopped, produces in the case oi an odd number of transferring operations or an 10 odd number of rows between two transferring operations, the result that the driving device and v the slur cock bar are displaced in relation to each other by the width of the path of the slur coclr bar. In order to obtain, notwithstanding this displacement, immediately after the last transferrine operation, the reciprocatory movement that is necessary for the formation of loops, there isiitted, between the driving device and the slur cool: bar, a device which renders possible a re m versal oi the direction of movement of the slur each bar in relation to the movement oi the driv ins device. The clutch of the driving device is, advantageously, constructed in such a manner that the latter is connec with the slur cook 25 bar either directly or through the reversing device.

Tl'iis device is necessary, because, during a transferring operation, the slur, cools her is sta tionarv but the draw lever continues to carry out its usual movements together with the driving device and, at the end of a transferring opera tion, the driving device is at the other end of the needle row to that which it is at the hes 3g of the transferring accretion.

The selection of the driving finger is advan tageouslv effected by means of acontros device which may, tor example, consist oi plates which are mounted on a gear chest and which carry out the movements of the driving device and which act on the driving linger in accordance with the vvorh.

An emhcdhnentci the invention will now he described with the aid oi the drawings, oi With- Fig. i is a irons elevation at the coulier mo= tion mechanism oi a straight her knitting ma chine;

Fin. 2 is a c elevation of the same conlier motion mechanism;

Fig; 3 is a plan oi the driving device, the slur coci; her and the reversing device according to the invention, with the driving device at the beginning of its Path;

Fig, e is the same plan as Fig. that with the driving device at the end oi its path.

manner.

The cam shaft I of the knitting machine is shown in Fig. 2. On this shaft there is mounted a bevel wheel 2 which rotates with the cam shaft I but allows its displacement and which is in engagement with a bevel wheel 3 on the shaft 4. The shaft 4 is mounted in the knitting machine at right angles to the cam shaft I, in known It carries the coulier cam 5 which acts either on the roller 8 or on the roller 1 which rollers are rotatably mounted on a connecting bar 8. The connecting bar 8 is hinged at one end to a lever 9 and at the other end to an operating lever arm II) which are both rotatably mounted on the frame of the knitting machine. The operating lever arm I0 carries, on its free end, a so-called slide block II which isdisplaceably mounted in a special guide in the driving device which takes the form of a bracket I2. The coulier motion mechanism consisting of the parts 2 to II) reciprocates the driving device which is mounted so as to slide on the shaft I3 which is mounted in the machine.

The slur cock bar is denoted by I4 and one of the slur cocks mounted on the bar I4 is denoted by I5. The slur cock bar is mounted in the knitting machine in the usual manner so as to bedisplaceable longitudinally.

A rack I6 is rigidly connected with the slur cock bar I4. On this rack there ismoun'ted a clutch member I1 with a recess I8. At a suitable position of the parts, there engages in this recess a driving finger I9 which is rotatably mounted in the driving device I2 on a shaft 20. The finger I9 is in the form of a lever of the first order and carries on its rear end a roller 2| which is acted upon by a cam plate 22. This plate is mounted on a shaft 23 which is likewise rotatably mounted in the driving device I2 and which is shifted step by step from the pattern chain 26 of the knitting machine through a ratchet gear 24 and suitable transmission members 25.

When the driving finger I9 engages in the recess I8 in the clutch. member- I1, thedriving device I2 and the slur cock bar I4 are directly clutched together-.-i. e., both parts carry out movements in the same direction. If the slur cock bar is to be stopped, the driving finger I 9 is disengagedwith the aid of the cam plate 22 that is mounted on the shaft 23. The couliermotion mechanism including the driving device I2 alone continues to move, whilst the slur cock bar I4 is stationary. If, for example, only a single transferring operation is carried out, the driving finger I9 is displaced in'relation to the recess I8 by the amount of the usual path of the driving device, so that, at the end of the transferring operation, the driving finger I9 can no longer beclutched to the slur cock bar. The slur cock bar I4 cannot now be directed connected to move as a unit with the driving device I2 also for the reason that the movement of the slur cock bar I4 must now'take place in the direction opposite 'to that of the movement of the driver.

In order to obtain this opposite movement and the coupling of the driver and the slur cock bar at different positions of the slur cock bar and the driving device, there is mounted on the latter a second driving finger 21 that is shifted, through a roller 28, by a second cam plate 29, which is likewise mounted on the shaft 23. The driving finger 21, is, as shown in Fig. 3, coupled with a rack 30 which is displaceably mounted in two arms 3I which are fixed on a shaft 32 that is arranged in the machine. A

clutch member 33 with a recess 34 serves for coupling the rack with the driving finger 21. The arms 3I are connected by a rail 35 on which there is rotatably mounted a toothed wheel 36 which is in engagement both with the rack 30 and the rack I6 which is connected with the slur cock bar I4. It is clear that, when the rack 30- is coupled with the driving device I2, it moves in the same direction as the latter whilst the slur cock bar moves in the opposite direction.

Fig. 3 shows the driving device after a transferring operation, the slur cock bar I4 and the driving device occupying opposite positions at the end-i. e., the driving finger is at a distance from the recess I8 equal to the path of the slur cock bar. In order that the working operation may be continued at once from this position, the 'drivingfinger 21 has, as shown in Fig. 3, been coupled with the rack 30. If the driving device is now moved to the left, the, rack 30 is taken along in the same direction but the slur cock bar I4 is taken along in the opposite direction, i. e., to the right.

During the transferring operations themselves, the two driving fingers I9 and 21 are lifted out, so that, although the coulier motion mechanism is driven by the eccentric shaft I and carries out its usual movement, the slur cock bar I4 is stationary. Consequently, it is unnecessary tostop the masses of the coulier motion mechanism or to start them again, so that the shocks to the machine connected with stopping and starting do not occur. The coupling of the driving fingers I9 and 21 is effected at or near the end positions of the driving device, that is to say, when it has reached its smallest velocity or has come to a standstill, so that only the usual accelerating work, which is connected with every driving of the slur cock bar, I4, is to be performed.

I claim:

1. In a straight bar knitting machine having a reciprocating motion producing coulier mechanism and a slur cock bar arranged'to have imparted thereto a reciprocating movement by the coulier mechanism, means for intermittently operating said slur cock bar while maintaining said coulier mechanism in continuous operation, including means to disconnect the slur cock bar from the coulier mechanism selectively at either limit of said reciprocating motion.

2. In a straight bar knitting machine having a reciprocating motion producing coulier mechanism and a slur cock bar arranged to be reciprocated thereby, means for intermittently operating said slur cock bar while maintaining said coulier mechanism in continuous operation, including means for operatively disconnecting the slur cock bar'frorn the coulier mechanism at one limit of said reciprocating motion and for operatively connecting the slur cock bar with the coulier mechanism at the opposite limit of the reciprocating motion of the coulier mechanism. i

3. In a straight bar knitting machine having a reciprocating motion producing coulier mechanism and a slur cock bar arranged to be reciprocated thereby, means for intermittently operating said slur cock bar for the performance of narrowing and similar loop transfer operations while the slur cock bar with the coulier mechanism to I nism and a slur cock bar arranged to be recip-' be driven in the reverse direction as the coulier mechanism reaches the opposite limit or its reciprocating motion.

4. In a straight bar knitting machine having a reciprocating motion producing coulier mecharocated thereby, means for intermittently operating said slur cock bar while maintaining said coulier mechanism in continuous operation, including a motion reversing mechanism, means for disconnecting the slur cock bar from the coulier mechanism at one limit of said reciprocating motion, and for operatively connecting the slur cock bar to the coulier mechanism at the opposite limit of said reciprocating motion through said motion reversing mechanism to drive the slur cock bar in the reverse direction.

5. In a straight bar knitting machine having a reciprocating motion producing coulier mechanism and a slur cock bar arrangedtohave imparted thereto a reciprocating movement by the coulier mechanism, means for intermittently operating said slur cock bar while maintaining said coulier mechanism in continuous operation, including motion reversing mechanism interposed between the coulier mechanism-and slur cock bar, means associated with said reversing mechanism to disconnect the slur cock bar from the coulier mechanism selectively at either limit of said reciprocating motion, and thereafter for operatively connecting the slur cock bar to be driven in the opposite direction, and pattern mechanism for the machine operative to order the disconnection and connection of said slur cock bar.

6. In a straight bar knitting machine .a slur cock bar and .coulier motion mechanism, said coulier motion mechanism being detachably connected with said slur cock bar by means of a clutch, said slur cock bar having connected therewith a reversing device, coupled to said coulier motion mechanism and arranged to reverse the movement of said slur cock bar relatively to said coulier motion mechanism.

7. In a straight bar knitting machine a slur cock bar and coulier motion mechanism, said coulier motion mechanism being detachably connected with said slur cock bar by means of a clutch, said slur cock bar having connected therewith a reversing device, coupled to said coulier motion mechanism and arranged to reverse the movement of said slur cock bar relatively to said j coulier motion mechanism, andmeans controllable from the knitting machine for controlling the coupling of said coulier motion mechanism with said reversing device.

8. In a straight bar knitting machine a slur cock bar and coulier motion mechanism, said coulier motion mechanism being detachably connected with said slur cock bar by means of a clutch, said slur cock bar having connected therewith a reversing device, coupled to said coulier motion mechanism and arranged to reverse the movement of said slur cock bar relatively to said coulier motion mechanism, said reversing device comprising-a rack, said rack being connected with said slur cock bar, a second rack displaceably mounted within the machine and a pinion in engagement with both said racks.

9. In a straight bar knitting machine a slur cock bar and coulier motion mechanism, said coulier motion mechanism being detachably connected with said slur cock bar by means of a clutch, a reversing device associated with said slur cock bar and adapted to reverse the relative movements of said slur cock bar and said coulier motion mechanism, said reversing device comprising a rack, said rack being connected with said slur cock bar, a second rack displaceably mounted within the machine and a pinion in en gagement with both said racks, said clutch comprising two driving fingers, said driving fingers being rotatably mounted on the driving device for said coulier motion mechanism means being provided on each of said racks, whereby same may be connected with one of said driving fingers.

KURT WICKARD'I. 

